Coast Guard announces largest cocaine seizure in agency’s history 02:38
The crew of a U.S. Coast Guard vessel intercepted three vessels carrying illegal drugs simultaneously in the Caribbean Sea and seized more than three tons of cocaine, thwarting what the agency called a “triple threat,” officials said Thursday.
The Coast Guard said in a news release that crews on the Tahoma, a 270-foot patrol boat, conducted the blockade about 90 miles off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. In an effort to capture all three suspected drug-trafficking vessels at once, the Tahoma’s crew launched two small boats and deployed a helicopter.
The Coast Guard said the smugglers on the boat being chased by helicopters were “not complying with regulations”. Coast Guard crews used “air force tactics, including precision sniper fire on the engines” to stop the ship. The alleged smuggler jumped overboard and was rescued by the Coast Guard. No injuries were reported.
Video shared by the Coast Guard shows a crew member firing a gun at the area in front of the ship and then throwing a rescue buoy at the alleged smugglers after they jumped overboard.
Relentless action to stop narco-terrorism.@USCGSE Crews aboard the CGC Tahoma and a helicopter seized approximately 6,085 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $45.8 million after intercepting three vessels off the coast of Colombia on Saturday. Blockade requirements… pic.twitter.com/5unto8ycBr
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) May 14, 2026
Smugglers on two other boats stopped on orders from Coast Guard boat crews.
The Coast Guard did not say how many people were detained during the operation or whether the smugglers on the three ships were working together.
Officials said Tahoma crews seized 6,085 pounds of cocaine from three vessels. The agency said the drugs, worth about $45 million, will be unloaded by crews in Port Everglades, Florida.
Photos shared by the Coast Guard show three suspected drug-trafficking boats being set on fire. A Coast Guard spokesperson previously told CBS News that when agency personnel encounter a suspected smuggling vessel, they detain the suspected smuggler, remove all drugs and then sink the vessel so it does not pose a threat to other maritime traffic.
Three suspected drug smuggling vessels are set on fire, with the Coast Guard cutter Tahoma in the background. / Image source: U.S. Coast Guard
The Coast Guard says about 80 percent of drugs seized en route to the United States are found at sea. The agency seized more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine in 2025.
The Trump administration has said stemming the flow of drugs into the United States is one of its top priorities. Deadly attacks on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean have killed nearly 200 people since they began last September. The government also labels drug cartels and transnational gangs as terrorist organizations.
